MINIEYE Met Snyder, Governor of Michigan State

August 0822:322017

On the morning of August 3, Liu Guoqing, founder and CEO of MINIEYE, was invited to meet the Governor of Michigan State Rick Snyder and the government delegation headed by him in Shenzhen. In the previous years, Governor Snyder once visited China for several times. After the meeting with Premier Li Keqiang on August 1, Snyder delegation started to hold conversations with excellent enterprises across China. This time, members of the delegation also include the Senior Consultant of Michigan Economic Development Corporation Auto Office Kevin Corrigan, Executive Director of Governor’s Office of Michigan State Ellison Scatt, Director of Michigan-China Innovation Center Brian Connors, etc.

Governor of Michigan State Rick Snyder (third from left) and founder of MINIEYE Liu Guoqing (second from left)

MINIEYE is devoted to researching and developing world-class vehicle-mounted visual perception technologies and products, and promoting the development of unmanned vehicles. Currently, its self-developed ADAS product has already been promoted to the domestic market for escorting drivers.

Actually early before the meeting, MINIEYE had already become attached to Michigan State. For instance, in 2015, they had signed an agreement of technological development with General Motors headquartered in Detroit, unveiling the cooperation with Michigan State. Governor Snyder indicated that the cooperation also drew his attention to MINIEYE, which was also one of the reasons for this meeting. Governor Snyder deployed considerable strategies to boost its strength in the auto industry, which is the primary industry of Michigan State. Specifically, with the arrival of intelligent drive, the auto industry, surrounded by a thick industrial atmosphere, has been improved with high technologies, or stepped out of the North America to look for excellent partners in China.

In previous visits to China, Governor Snyder reached cooperation with many large-scale auto enterprises, but this time, he paid attention to startups like MINIEYE. Before the political career, Governor Snyder established an incubator himself and witnessed too many startup companies growing gradually. He also indicated that he had focused on the entrepreneurial environment of China, especially in recent years, entrepreneurial firms emerging endlessly in the auto industry were quite excellent and active in the world. For Governor Snyder, these companies with profound research and development ability display great potential, together with the genes of collaborating with traditional auto factories.

Liu Guoqing introduced the business of MINIEYE to the delegation headed by Governor Snyder

Liu Guoqing introduced the current progress and achievements to Governor Snyder. At present, advanced driver assistance product MINIEYE-M3 has already been installed on many commercial vehicles, reducing the accident rate substantially. Governor Snyder was quite sure of MINIEYE technology, and claimed that auto enterprises in Michigan State shared similar visions as MINIEYE: to make efforts in the automation and intelligent network of autos and to provide safe, intelligent and efficient driving experience to drivers. He also praised that massive data became a necessary condition for the burst of artificial intelligence technologies, and the data collected by MINIEYE for years covered the complicated road conditions across China, which was much more abundant than that in America, and would lay a solid foundation for autonomous vehicles to understand the driving and road conditions in the future.

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Michigan State is famous as a cradle of the auto industry, and it is also the place where the noted Motor City Detroit is seated. About half of 150 world’s largest auto parts suppliers gather in Michigan State. Meanwhile, there are about 200 research and development institutions engaged in automotive research.

Last May, Governor Snyder and government officials from Shenzhen co-declared the establishment of Michigan-Shenzhen Commerce, Investment and Innovation Cooperation Center. This center aims to attract Chinese investment made to Michigan State and promote the export trade of China.

By the end of last year, the first regulation for unmanned vehicles was released in Michigan State, and provisions of the comprehensive administration for the test, use and sales of unmanned vehicles were set. Michigan state became the first state issuing comprehensive regulations on autonomous vehicles in the United States.

Michigan Economic Development Corporation indicated that Governor Snyder had already signed decrees clarifying that unmanned vehicles can be tested on public roads, and those valid for the test with license can be used for commercial purpose. Governor Snyder also said that “Michigan State is the global auto technology R&D center, and the release of management regulations and standards for unmanned vehicles is good for keeping this tradition.”

In 2015, the first controllable intelligent connected car test field – MCITY was settled in Michigan State. The project, led by the traffic transformation and research center of Michigan University, involves various investors like Nissan, Toyota, Ford, GM, Honda, etc. Covering 32 acres, it contains stimulated urban and suburb road conditions.